Michelin XZE

All-position rib design. The Michelin XZE uses a five-rib tread with wide circumferential grooves and a shoulder decoupling groove to stabilise the footprint and distribute contact pressure evenly across steer, drive and trailer positions; interlocking rib edges and full-depth siping sustain wet-weather grip while the decoupler isolates the shoulder from lateral scrub, mitigating heel-and-toe and feather wear in urban stop–start duty. The result is predictable handling, reduced irregular wear and longer, more uniform tread life, lowering cost per kilometre for mixed regional fleets.

Kerb-shielded sidewall protectors. Reinforced buttresses and moulded kerb ribs add a thick, sacrificial rubber layer on both sidewalls to resist abrasion and impact from tight urban manoeuvring against kerbs, preventing cord exposure and bead zone damage that can end a tyre early; combined with a cut/chip-resistant sidewall compound and robust bead filler, this design disperses impact energy and preserves air retention, keeping the casing in premium condition for multiple retreads and reducing unplanned downtime.

Dual-compound tread technology. A co-extruded cap/base construction places a scrub-resistant, wear-optimised cap over a cool-running, low-hysteresis base that draws heat away from belt edges; this lowers operating temperatures in both metropolitan and regional line-haul service, slowing oxidation and ply fatigue, maintaining rib stiffness for consistent contact geometry, and delivering an efficient balance of rolling resistance, wet grip and even wear—supporting better fuel economy and extended casing life.

Multi-belt steel casing. A full-width, multi-belt steel package built from high-tensile cords works with a heavy-gauge inner liner and robust bead bundle to reinforce the crown and lower sidewall, improving penetration resistance and footprint stability on coarse New Zealand chipseal and variable loads; this enhances steering precision, reduces shock bruising and ply separations, and protects the Michelin casing for reliable retreadability and maximum kilometres between replacements.

Stone-ejecting groove geometry. Groove-bottom protectors and tapered walls promote active stone ejection to limit drilling on gravel yards and chipseal, shielding the belt edge from puncture pathways and preventing crack initiation at the base of the grooves; by keeping channels open for water evacuation throughout the life of the tyre, this design maintains wet braking performance, reduces air-loss incidents, and protects the retreadable casing for lower whole-of-life cost.